by on 03/08/2020 1928
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English Champ, Petaling Jaya, is an English Enrichment centre incorporated in 2001 and managed by the daughter-mother duo, Aileen Hoe and her mother, Christine Wee.
Their passion for teaching is reflected in the name of the centre. They wanted a word that represents the children.
When the children step into our centre, we want them to be in the right frame of mind and to think of themselves as ‘champions’, explains Aileen.
Their tagline ‘We Make Learning Fun’ incorporates fun elements in the children’s learning. They include visual slides, objects, show and tell, and speech and drama elements in their teaching. These are part of the accelerated learning techniques that they employ in their education system which are effective for all types of learners - teaching through visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities.
English Champ strongly believes in the creation of lifelong learners.
Their teaching methodology ‘Creating TECH Learners’, learners who are Thinkers to be able to think for themselves, Empowered to take ownership and responsibility for their learning, Curious and hungry for answers, Happy (hence, the acronym TECH), is something that they feel is current and very much needed for learners of this day and age.
As an education centre that has been operating for over 19 years, they pride themselves on being able to shape the children’s mind through a conducive learning environment – an environment that is safe, and staff who use positive reinforcements, to nurture the learners towards a growth mindset.
English Champ offers English programmes for children ages 4 to 16.
For children age 4 – 6 years, they have a programme called Little Champ. Under this programme, learners focus on building skills in the four language areas: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Learners will be assessed before they start, in terms of their interests, and strengths and challenges related to English. The team will then spend some time with the parents to understand further about the child, and work together on ways of how they can use the child’s strengths to overcome his weaknesses.
“We always start a child in an area he is interested in, because usually people will be interested to start off with what they’re good at,” Aileen shares.
For children ages 7 and above, the centre offers a programme called Champ Writers. It’s a creative writing programme that teaches children how to communicate and present their ideas effectively through their writing.
Aileen illustrates, “Children are generally very creative and have a lot of ideas. Here, we provide them the writing techniques to express their creativity on paper.”
This programme employs learning techniques which include active learning strategies to facilitate understanding, retention and output. Learners can participate actively in individual, pair work and group activities which allow them to learn, develop and practise their writing skills.
Learners are also encouraged to do presentations at the end of each term, either individually or in groups. They will be taught presentation skills to effectively showcase their own written work and connect with the audience. Parents, siblings, relatives and friends of the learners are invited to this presentation session to celebrate their milestone of achievements.
We’d like the children to not only work on themselves, but have the opportunity to work with others, which is very similar to how it’s like when people go out into the job market, she explains.
As a child advances in his English studies, the demands in the level of English would increase. When he presents his ideas well, be it in writing or speaking, he would be outstanding and taken more seriously. A person who can present his ideas well can win the hearts of others and be an excellent communicator.
This programme will give the child a competitive edge when he starts college, and later pursues his studies in university, and not to mention, he can present his views and ideas well in interviews and excel in presentations in his career.
Whilst helping the child acquire better writing skills to write specific text forms or genres, narrative, descriptive, persuasive, script, just to name a few, with the right structure and guidance to develop a range of strategies and skills, writers will gain confidence and creativity in writing in no time!
Their classes are available face-to-face and online as well.
They had a learner under the tutelage of Teacher Christine who wrote and self-published his debut book titled, ‘Anthony Foxter, Teenage Spy’ at the age of 9. He was also interviewed by BFM89.9 on his book-writing journey.
English Champ also has a library at their centre.
Besides this, the centre organizes Star Champ event, which is an event where special guests are invited to the centre and interviewed by the children. They once had a cyclist who cycled around the whole Malaysian peninsula in about 50 days, with the motivation of raising funds for charity. This event has encouraged the learners to expand their horizon on their views about life and finding their purpose in life.
The programme also includes educational field trips, that match themes they have. For example, they’ve taken students to the National Planetarium for their theme on the solar system.
We’d like them to be more exposed and to ask questions to experts who are not our teachers. This helps us see how the kids communicate with others, - Aileen explains.
Once a year, a recital is usually held. During this event, every single child has a role to play—be it in on stage or in the background (if they prefer). This annual event provides the learners the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills in performing arts.
We also have a customary walk of confidence. The intention is for them to walk on stage, face the audience and take a bow—if they’re too shy to dance or pose! Every child does this as we want them to know they are acknowledged for their contribution, and that they make a difference in each other’s lives, - she shares.
Teachers at English Champ are trained and qualified in teaching. The educators are energetic and connected to the interests of young learners.
"We look for passion, heart, mindset and attitude. We want teachers who can support the learners to connect the dots and give them that ‘a-ha’ moment," Aileen points out.
English Champ also provides training to their teachers to help maintain a consistent quality, and to align everyone to a common vision; and career coaching for the staff.
English Champ's teachers are always available to listen to parents’ concerns about their children and share the insights of parenting tips and strategies that may work with their children. They also provide coaching programmes for parents who would like to develop their parenting skills and become effective parents.
For parents who would like to find out more about where their children’s level is at, visit https://englishchamp.com.my/programmes/creative-writing/ for a free assessment. You will also receive a free 30-minute consultation with their experts.
Meet up face-to-face or online!
